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A second later, she texted back: I’m rising but I’m not shining.
Asher smiled. Hope the grand opening at the shop today goes well.
She sent him a kiss emoji. Now he was really smiling as he tucked his phone back into his pocket, and he became aware of the silence around him.
Boone was hiding his laughter with a cough.
Rhett was outright grinning.
“Shut up,” Asher told them both and then tapped his finger against the file folder. “We need to find out why this guy is here.”
Boone finally stopped smiling and reached for his coffee cup. Before taking a sip, he asked, “How do you want to proceed from here?”
That was precisely the problem. Asher didn’t know. “Get some eyes on him. He’s staying at the B and B. I want to know when he leaves and what he’s doing. There’s gotta be a reason he’s come to town. If he’s partnered with Fanning, the last thing he’d want to do is draw attention to himself after Fanning’s arrest.”
Boone and Rhett nodded agreement.
Asher ran his hands over his tired eyes. “There’s gotta be something we’re missing about him. We need to find out what that is, and what the hell he wants.”
“You’re all in early.”
Asher glanced over his shoulder, finding Hank. “I called them in,” Asher explained. “We’ve got a situation.”
At that, Hank’s head cocked. “Anything to worry about?”
Boone explained, “Remy’s got a visitor we don’t want her to have.”
“Oh,” Hank said, moving in to sit at the head of the table. “Tell me everything.”
It came as no surprise that Hank would want every single detail. Remy was like a second daughter to him, growing up right alongside Kinsley. Asher recounted what had happened and left out no detail of what had unfolded so far.
When Asher finished, Hank rubbed his jaw and said, “It’s odd that Fanning would be connected to anyone in the dark underbelly of Whitby Falls.”
Boone agreed with a firm nod, then turned to Asher. “After you sent that picture, I had a look to see if there was any connection between Fanning and that group, but I couldn’t find anything.”
“And,” Rhett added, “Fanning scammed money off women. I couldn’t find anything in Violi’s record showing a mutual affection for that particular crime.”
“Another mystery then,” Hank said, rising to push his chair back under the table.
“A mystery we don’t want Remy involved in,” Asher said, now rubbing at the building tension across his neck. “If it’s all right, boss, I’d like to take a few days to sort this out. I’ll take some vacation time.”
“Nah, it’s all right,” Hank said, moving toward the door. He stopped in the doorway, then looked back at Asher. “Clean this up for Remy. See that all this shit gets put behind her.” To Boone and Rhett, he said, “I’ve got a new case. Come to my office when you’re done here.”
Boone nodded at his father, then waited until Hank left the room before tossing the last bit of burrito into his mouth. “You need to watch your step with these guys,” he told Asher firmly. “They’re well connected and dangerous. If you need us, bring us in on this.”
“Yes. Please.” Rhett grinned, his gaze all but twinkling. “Please bring us in on this.”
Asher chuckled, leaning back in his chair and stretching his arms. “If I have my way, Violi will see Fanning in jail, then he’ll leave, and that will be the end of this.”
Rhett arched an eyebrow. “And if that doesn’t happen?”
“Then I’ll tell him to leave,” Asher stated.
Boone snorted. “You’ll ask him nicely.”
Asher grabbed the file to take back to his office to learn as much as he could about Lars Violi. “Now that I can’t promise.”
Boone gave him a level look. “Don’t do anything stupid.”
